Bridgerton season 5 will reportedly bring back a major character not seen since season 2

It appears a familiar face might soon be returning to the ton! While we’re still months away from Bridgerton season 5, newly released details seem to suggest that the upcoming fifth season will be bringing back a character fans haven’t seen since early in season 2.

According to a new report from Variety India, Chris Fulton will be making his return as Sir Phillip Crane in the upcoming fifth season as part of the returning cast for the upcoming season. It’s unclear how many episodes Fulton might appear in, but his return suggests that the fifth season might begin laying some groundwork for when Phillip and Eloise’s story is finally adapted in season 6.

Fulton was first introduced as Sir Phillip Crane in the season 1 finale when he arrived at the Featherington house to inform Marina that his brother George had died on the battlefield. Much like in the books, Phillip stepped up to marry her in order to protect her honor and provide for her and George’s children. The finale ended with the pair heading out together, leaving the ton to make their way to the Crane estate.

We’d next see Phillip in season 2 when Colin Bridgerton dropped in on Marina to pay her a visit and check in on her. Since then, we have not seen Fulton back on the show, but that appears to be about to change as the show works to set up Eloise and Phillip’s season.

His return suggests that perhaps Marina’s death will occur sometime in the season and that Eloise might begin her correspondence with him over the course of the season. We’ve seen Bridgerton take similar approaches with other couples on the show, such as Penelope and Colin and Francesca and Michaela, allowing fans to become invested in the characters before they take center stage. Considering that we've only seen Phillip twice on the show before, it would make perfect sense for the writers to bring him back into the fold in preparation for adapting To Sir Phillip, With Love.

In To Sir Phillip, With Love, Eloise and Phillip correspond via letter over the span of a year following Marina’s death, and the pair grow incredibly close during this time. Eventually, Phillip proposes to Eloise, paving the way for an unexpected series of events that leads to their happy ending. Knowing that their relationship begins via the letters exchanged, it would make perfect sense for season 5 to begin their correspondence, which could then end by setting up Phillip’s proposal in the season finale, which would then set into motion the events of season 6.

This would make much more sense than trying to open Bridgerton season 6 with the death of Marina and the start of Phillip and Eloise's letters. Allowing fans to see the characters form a connection through a storyline for Eloise in season 5, and then wrapping the season with the proposal letter arriving so that season 6 can begin with Eloise making the rash decision to race off to meet Phillip, a decision that sets into motion their eventual marriage.

We’ll have to wait to see what the writers have cooked up, but it’s exciting to know that Fulton will reportedly be returning as Sir Phillip in the upcoming fifth season of Bridgerton. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen him on the show.

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